Cool Weight Loss Tool
Add this to the list of cool gadgets we'd like to try. The bodybugg armband is a wearable monitor that offers a running total of the number of calories you're burning (your Total Energy Expenditure, or TEE).
What's the big deal? Because the bodybugg not only tracks calories burned through regular exercise, but it also tracks TEE from the more mundane tasks of life, like changing a diaper, pumping gas, or even taking a nap. It does this by measuring skin temperature, physical motion, galvanic skin response, and rate of heat loss. And the manufacturer, Bodymedia, offers an impressive array of scientific studies proving the efficacy of the product in accurately tracking calorie burn.
The device interfaces with a proprietary bodybugg website, where you can upload your device data and input your food intake for the day. The site then computes your calorie deficit - the key to weight loss.
The bodybugg doesn't come cheap. It retails at $399, which includes a 3-month subscription to the website. While pricier than a pedometer, from a weight loss utility perspective the bodybugg may be worth the added expense.
RELATED: Diabetes and Technology
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Diabetes Alert Day
Today is Diabetes Alert Day, the annual diabetes "call to action" to increase disease awareness and to encourage everyone to find out if they are at risk. Find out more now.
RELATED: Type 2 Diabetes Screening Quiz
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Padres Pitcher Deals with Diabetes
Add San Diego Padre David "Boomer" Wells to the list of athletes living with diabetes. Wells was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two weeks ago, and since that time has publicly commited himself to some major dietary changes: "No more starches and sugar. No more rice, pasta, potatoes and white bread. No more fast food."
Kudos to Wells for facing the challenge head on. However, he still has some spring training in front of him in the diabetes education arena. He was quoted in the Union-Tribune as saying that “This is a major lifestyle change. I don't want this going to type 1 diabetes." Type 2 diabetes does not "go to" type 1, of course. We assume Wells is concerned about the prospect of going on insulin to control his diabetes. While insulin can make professional sports a challenge, it is a treatment option that can actually be a huge benefit to people with type 2 diabetes who aren't maintaining good A1cs with diet, exercise, and/or oral meds alone. And many pro athletes with type 2 diabetes continue to excel in their sports after going on insulin.
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Welcome to the Future
Some attendees at last week's Atlanta Diabetes Expo got a bit of high-tech swag along with their free glucose gel samples and insulin brochures. VeriMed implanted eighteen Expo attendees with an radio-frequency identification device (RFID) - a microchip about the size of a grain of rice that holds the entire health history of a patient. A handheld scanner, utilized in a growing number of hospitals nationwide, unlocks the patient's information should they be unconscious or unable to communicate.
RFID chips are typically implanted in the right upper arm, just under the skin. They are inserted by a doctor utilizing an injection procedure, similar to a shot. Once a handheld scanner reads your chip number, it draws on a patient database to pull up your health history, contact and physician information, and other voluntary information. The chip (including cost for insertion by a doctor) is several hundred dollars, with an annual fee to keep your health data available and current.
Even if you do go high-tech and get the chip, remember that it doesn't replace visible medical identification worn on the body. Currently, only 449 hospitals nationwide use the RFID scanner. And people around you still need to know you have diabetes in case you have a crisis situation outside of the emergency room.
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Spring Forward
Daylight savings time is upon us - earlier than ever this year as a result of a Congressional act. The time change happens officially early March 11th (Sunday) at 2 a.m. dLife has a handy checklist that will help you make sure your diabetes care stays on time as well. Check it out.
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Fit For the Road
Truck driving is a tough occupation. Long days behind the wheel with little exercise, poor eating habits from miles of truck stop dining and fast food pit stops, and erratic schedules that limit access to regular health care all contribute to a growing obesity crisis in the industry.
Nancy Younger is one of five overweight truck drivers who are participating in The Fit for the Road program, a yearlong weight-loss and fitness program customized by a dietician and medical doctor and sponsored by Trucker's News Magazine. She was selected from a pool of over 350 applicants for her motivation and commitment level. Nancy also has type 2 diabetes, and is chronicling her weight loss journey across the highways of America in a Fit 4 the Road blog. She reports: "Now, my sugars are down to the low 100's and I have shed 15 pounds since December 1, 2006."
Keep on truckin', Nancy!
RELATED: Weight Management
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Be a Part of dLifeTV
dLifeTV is looking for people with diabetes to participate in a few “Roundtable Discussions” that will be taped for television. We’re looking for people over the age of 18 who are living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Age, gender, race, profession, and marital status do not matter although, ideally, we’re looking for a diverse group of people.
What does matter is that you’ve been living with diabetes for at least three years and are eager to share your stories about the ongoing struggle of living with diabetes. We want people who have discovered habits, routines, support systems, and other treatment tips that they would like to share with the nation’s diabetes community.
dLife is also searching for some “type 3” people—spouses, life partners, significant others, parents, or children of people who live with diabetes. In other words, people who do not have diabetes themselves but who play a significant role in keeping loved ones healthy.
East Coasters preferred, as participants will be required to spend a day in Westport, Connecticut during the last week of March 2007. Diabetes-friendly food will be provided.
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